Free Deep Dive Webinar: Is There Enough Biomass to Defossilise the Chemicals and Derived Materials Sector by 2050? 

Join us for an in-depth webinar on 26 May 2025 from 14:00 to 16:00 CEST where we will dive into the findings of the recent BIC/RCI study and discuss their implications for the bio-based economy.

The study: 

The recent Scientific Background Report presents the findings of a joint project of the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) and the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI), which focuses on whether agricultural and woody biomass combined sustainably provide enough biomass to meet 20% of the future carbon demand of the chemical and derived materials industries in 2050 (up from 5.5% (EU27) and 10% (global) in 2023.

This leading question was investigated with professional experts to model a business-as-usual (BAU), a low resource depletion (LRD), and a high-tech scenario (HT) to better analyse the possible ranges of biomass availability under different developments.

Agriculture: 

By 2050, under the BAU scenario, production is projected to increase by 31% to 5.07 billion tonnes. Cereals increase by 32% to 3.1 billion tonnes, sugar by 40% to 340 million tonnes and vegetable oils by 45% to 317 million tonnes. In the Green LRD scenarios, production is projected to increase by 24–26%, and in the Green HT scenarios by 38–53% – compared to 31% in the BAU scenario.

Forestry: 

Global supply and demand of industrial roundwood (coniferous and non-coniferous) will increase by an estimated 38% between 2020 and 2050, from 0.9 to 1.3 billion tdm. The largest increase in supply is expected in Asia (69%), including China and Russia, but a significant increase of 32% is also seen for Europe.

The report concludes that sustainably meeting 20% of total carbon demand of the chemicals and derived materials sector in 2050 via biomass seems a realistic and achievable estimate. Under the moderate High-Tech (HT) scenario, deemed the most plausible development path, biomass can be harnessed without jeopardising food and feed supplies or conflicting with biofuel demands. Moreover, while the study suggests that more ambitious high-tech scenarios could potentially increase biomass’s contribution to 40%, it stresses the importance of aligning such advancements with existing biofuel policies.

Find the report here: https://renewable-carbon.eu/publications/product/is-there-enough-biomass-to-defossilise-the-chemicals-and-derived-materials-sector-by-2050-a-joint-bic-and-rci-scientific-background-report/

A deep-dive webinar

To delve deeper into these findings, RCI and BIC will host an exclusive webinar featuring key authors of the study, Michael Carus (CEO) and Olaf Porc (Economy & Policy Department). 

The webinar promises a comprehensive exploration of the study’s methodologies, insights, and implications, followed by an engaging discussion on the future trajectory of biomass in industrial applications.

For those keen on understanding how biomass can drive the defossilisation of the chemical industry, the webinar presents an invaluable opportunity to engage directly with leading experts and contribute to shaping a sustainable future.

Join us on 26 May 2025 from 14:00 to 16:00 CEST. 

Register now: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qhlJlmXpSluPgPdrN1JTvQ

Source

Renewable Carbon Initiative, original text, 2025-05-14.

Supplier

Biobased Industries Consortium (BIC)
EuroCARE Agricultural Policy Research
nova-Institut GmbH
Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI)
Thünen-Institut für Holzforschung

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